BP-Claim.Com

Tag Archives: wes

The deadline for victims of the BP oil spill to file claims with the GCCF is rapidly approaching. The GCCF will close its doors in 2013, so now is the time to file or appeal your BP claim if you are a victim and have not done so already. The GCCF has come under fierce attack over the last year for unethical practices, and biases in determining BP claims decisions.

GCCF Pays Base On Amount

The GCCF has been limiting Gulf Coast claim approvals based on geographic proximity and amount people are asking for. This has been the biggest hot-button issue surrounding the GCCF’s practices. This means that if the BP oil spill negatively affected you – even if you sustained Income loss from the event – and you were not close enough to the spill to meet the GCCF standards, then they will deny your BP claim.

This stipulation has come under fire by many local government agencies, the most prominent of which is the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office. The agency cited that the GCCF judged claims were based on “a random distance in relation to the shoreline” and advised that, “all claims incurred as a result of the oil spill should be paid regardless of the claimant’s physical location.”

GCCF Paying Claims Based On Industry Types

The GCCF is approving claims for industries related to seafood and fishing and throwing the other industries on the Gulf Coast affected by the spill under the bus. The organization categorically denied claims for industries they deemed “unrelated” to the spill, whether or not the businesses were impacted by the disaster. These industries should talk to an oil spill attorney and get represented in their claim against BP and the GCCF.

The GCCF has denied thousands of claims filed by businesses such as – but by no means limited to – beauty salons, travel agencies, grocery stores, and auto repair shops. Local business owners have suffered immensely as a result, because their businesses intertwine with tourism and the local vitality of the area before the spill.

The Tunnell Report Used By The GCCF To Pay

The media and local officials are also criticizing the GCCF for using information from a study called “The Tunnell Report” to determine future losses. Dr. Wes Tunnell of Texas A&M University authored the report, and a source notes that he receive $500,000 from the BP Oil Company to do so. The report proclaimed that there was great news on the horizon for the Gulf Coast. It stated that the gulf was in the midst of a strong recovery and that most of the fish population would be back to normal levels sometime in 2012.

Many marine biologists blasted Tunnell for the claims he made in his report. One observed that Tunnell’s report fails to provide enough individualized consideration of the effects of the oil spill on one particular species. In addition, the report was not peer-reviewed, which is a standard practice among academic professionals.

The bias of the GCCF in awarding claims is the main reason that we urge victims of the BP oil spill to appeal denied claims. If you have experienced bias when filing your claim, or you feel you have been unfairly denied, please fill out a free case review and talk to an attorney about getting your claim paid so that you can get on with your life after the spill.